Stepladder with folding elements



April 1963 B. LAMBERTI 3,084,760

STEPLADDER WITH FOLDING ELEMENTS Filed Jan. l8, l960 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m it a =2 1?. a 1

April 9, 1963 B. LAMBERTI 3,084,760

STEPLADDER WITH FOLDING ELEMENTS Filed Jan. 18, 1960 E 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [N I/E/VTO/Q BATT/ST/l LAN/55274 ATTVS.

Patented Apr, 9, 1963 STEPLADEER WITH FGLDHNG ELEMENTS Battista Lamberti, Erescia-St. Martino Della, Eattaglia, Italy Filed Ian. 18, 1969, tier. No. 3,169 2 (Ch 182-462) Object of :the present invention is a ladder in which the components, i.e. steps, standards, cross bars and upper footpace (last step) are all folding one on the other so as to occupy very little room when not used, i.e. only the room which is required for the four standards put together.

Said ladder, which is particularly suitable to be used in private homes, oflices, shops and alike, is represented in the accompanying drawings, in a practical structural form, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the ladder with all its components folded (closed ladder);

FIG. 2 shows the same ladder ready for use;

FIG. 3 shows the steps with the locking device when the ladder is open;

FIG. 4 shows the elements connecting the two standards opposite to those carrying the steps;

FIG. 5 shows the top platform or last step (section AA on FIG. 2);

FIG. 6 shows how the top platform is mounted along the section B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows the half-closed ladder;

FIG. 8 shows the device for releasing the locking device; and

FIG. 9 shows a detail in sectional view in the direction of arrows CC in FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings the ladder in question is composed of steps formed by two halves 1-1', articulated by means of pins 2 and centrally connected by a rod 3, said elements being pivotally connected to standards 6 and 7 by means of pins 4 and 5 respectively; on the other side, i.e. on standards 8 and 9, other elements similar to those 11' of the steps are pivoted and the vertical rod 10 connecting them (see FIG. 4) is carrying cross bars 11 articulated like a pantograph with pins 12 lodging in slots 13 cut for this purpose in the rod, said cross bars being pivoted on two standards 8 and 9 by means of two fixed pins 14 and two pins 15 lodging in slots 16.

At the bottom of standards 6 and 7 there is the device for securing the ladder, also acting as a means for obtaining its locking; in fact, two bars 17 and 18 have one of their ends connected to the elements 11' of the bottom step and to rod 3 by means of pin 2, while the other two ends are provided with two pins acting in slots 19 provided in said standards.

On one of the standards, on the drawing standard 7, and by means of pin 20, a forked lever 21 is pivoted (see FIGURES 2, 3 and 8), which is acting on a stake 22 fixed on rod 18.

At the upper end of the ladder, between the two standards =8 and 9, fixed by two flexible means 23, for instance two cylindrical springs, there is the platform or last step, consisting of cross bars 24 articulated as a pantograph and connected by means of pins 25, two of said cross bars being provided (see FIG. 6) with a pin 26, each lodging in a special seat foreseen on elements 1 and 1' of the first step of the ladder, said connection having the purpose to secure the fixed position of the foothold when the ladder is used.

The above described ladder is further completed by: two

handles 27 fixed or worked on the two elements 1 and 1' of the first step; and two flanges 28 and 29 located at the ends of the two rods 3 and 11B, flange 29 being such as to be located immediately over flange 23 of rod '3.

Thanks to the pivotal fixing of all the elements constituting the above described body, when the ladder has been used it may be put together as in FIG. 1 of the drawing; in order to open the ladder and dispose in like in FIG. 2 it is necessary to act first on handles 27 and, after obtaining the result represented in FIG. 7, the two pairs of standards are spread apart and then the platform is secured according to FIG. 6.

In order to close the ladder, after having put it together according to FIG. 7, the forked lever 21 is operated by foot so as to put it, by rotation, in a position according to FIG. 8; after that all the elements constituting the steps and the others as Well are simultaneously folded thanks to the action exerted by flange 28 of rod 3 on flange 29 of rod 11) and causing an upward movement. While all the elements are folding one on the other the ladder standards approach until the ladder is closed up according to FIG. 1.

I claim:

1. A stepladder, comprising: a pair of front and a pair of back standards, the standards of each pair having hollow portions confronting each other; hinges securing together the upper extremities of the front and back standards; foldable rungs disposed between and pivotally connected at their opposite ends with the front standards; a central rod pivotally connected with all of said foldable rungs; upper and lower foldable rungs disposed between and pivotally connected at their opposite ends with the back standards adjacent the upper and lower extremities of said back standards; crossbars between said back standards and intermediate said upper and lower rungs pivotally connected with each other and with said back standards; and a second central rod pivotally connected with said upper and lower rungs and with said crossbars, said rungs and crossbars being receivable within the hollow portions of the standards connected therewith when the rungs are folded and the standards are moved laterally into contact with one another, said central rods having coacting flanges at their lower ends, whereby when the front and back standards are adjacent each other movement imparted to one of the central rods to move the rungs and the pair of standards connected therewith laterally to a position for use, causes simultaneous and corresponding lateral movement of the other pair of standards.

2. A stepladder as defined in claim 1, including a member connected at one end with the central rod associated with the front rungs and having a pin at its other end; and wherein a forked locking lever is pivoted to one front standard and is engageable with said pin for locking the stepladder in unfolded position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 958,732 Dennis May 24, 1910 1,054,108 Garraway Feb. 25, 1913 1,108,896 Garraway Sept. 1, 1914 2,670,120 Sanguineti Feb. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,278 Great Britain Jan. 18, 1896 323,411 France Apr. 22, 1903 153,440 Switzerland June 1, 1932 196,941 Switzerland Feb. 1. 1939 

1. A STEPLADDER, COMPRISING: A PAIR OF FRONT AND A PAIR OF BACK STANDARDS, THE STANDARDS OF EACH PAIR HAVING HOLLOW PORTIONS CONFRONTING EACH OTHER; HINGES SECURING TOGETHER THE UPPER EXTREMITIES OF THE FRONT AND BACK STANDARDS; FOLDABLE RUNGS DISPOSED BETWEEN AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS WITH THE FRONT STANDARDS; A CENTRAL ROD PIVOTALLY CONNECTED WITH ALL OF SAID FOLDABLE RUNGS; UPPER AND LOWER FOLDABLE RUNGS DISPOSED BETWEEN AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS WITH THE BACK STANDARDS ADJACENT THE UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITIES OF SAID BACK STANDARDS; CROSSBARS BETWEEN SAID BACK STANDARDS AND INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER AND LOWER RUNGS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID BACK STANDARDS; AND A SECOND CENTRAL ROD PIVOTALLY CONNECTED WITH SAID UPPER AND LOWER RUNGS AND WITH SAID CROSSBARS, SAID RUNGS AND CROSSBARS BEING RECEIVABLE WITHIN THE HOLLOW PORTIONS OF THE STANDARDS CONNECTED THEREWITH WHEN THE RUNGS ARE FOLDED AND THE STANDARDS ARE MOVED LATERALLY INTO CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, SAID CENTRAL RODS HAVING COACTING FLANGES AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, WHEREBY WHEN THE FRONT AND BACK STANDARDS ARE ADJACENT EACH OTHER MOVEMENT IMPARTED TO ONE OF THE CENTRAL RODS TO MOVE THE RUNGS AND THE PAIR OF STANDARDS CONNECTED THEREWITH LATERALLY TO A POSITION FOR USE, CAUSES SIMULTANEOUS AND CORRESPONDING LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER PAIR OF STANDARDS. 